Customer Reviews

Grace Notes

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What is most notable about this author's work is that no two of her books are the same. For that reason alone, I would buy any book of hers without bothering to read the flap copy or the reviews because I know that whatever she has chosen to write about it will have her unique insights and depth of feeling for the characters. Grace Notes is a cautionary tale about the ways in which the internet (email in particular) can be used--sometimes to great disadvantage. It's also a very truthful exploration of the tremendous demands of caregiving and of the long-term effects of domestic abuse. Several clever twists at the end were definitely not foreshadowed. All in all, a gripping and most satisfying reading experience.

Ms. Allen's books are sometimes considered "women's novels," but I don't see why men shouldn't be interested in these powerful themes and the gripping way she depicts them.

Grace Loring is a compelling portrait of a woman who gives so much of herself that she never leaves quite enough for herself. A successful author, she has fled an abusive marriage to live with her sympathetic brother Gus, but she now finds herself nearly overwhelmed as a caretaker as Gus surrenders himself completely to a crippling and financially ruinous rheumatoid arthritis. Grace has little time for her bright 22-year-old daughter Nicky--a convincingly perky depiction--or for the achingly decent man Vinnie who has finally entered her life, or even for her own writing, but the costs and burdens of the disease drive her back to the computer. And into this already stressful mix falls yet another plea for help that Grace, of the tormented heart, simply cannot resist. E-mail arrives from a woman who claims she is the victim of brutal and unremitting abuse. Grace's heart goes out--even as the reader begins to worry more and more that this new correspondent may not be quite what she claims. Grace is almost willfully naïve and trusting and self-denying--which would, of course, be virtues in a better world (a world built by women, perhaps, as opposed to the one built by men where "realistic" souls try to hammer each other into submission.)

The tension becomes almost unbearable as all these crises come together at once for Grace--and the e-mail correspondent abruptly shows up in person. Like reporting on any powerful mystery, I cannot reveal any more about the story without spoiling it. But I can say the characters moved me, unnerved me with their flaws (human flaws, not writing flaws), and I desperately wanted to step in and help them out of their predicaments. I will remember them for a long time.

And finally, I detect more than a whiff of autobiography making its way into this story, both as abuse survivor and caretaker, and if I were an abused woman, I think I would immediately fly to Ms Allen's door and fall at her feet to worship her for writing so powerfully on a dark subject that deserves much more light thrown on it.

I didn't expect the book to be so serious and thought provoking. From the back cover it sounded like a mystery but in reality it was about the life of an abused woman who escaped and ended up taking care of her beloved crippled brother. I actually enjoyed the book very much and it taught me a lot and made me think. The ending was odd and a little abrupt but I'm glad it had a conclusion. I recommend this book to anyone who has had it rough.

The arrival of a new Charlotte Vale Allen book is always a treat! One following so close on the heels of Parting Gifts makes it a double treat. One cannot get too many of her books and this is another one that is a joy to read. Grace Notes takes us into the 21st Century with computers,the internet and emails playing the major role in this book.I will not reiterate the story line as doing so would only replicate what has preceded this.I will only add that she deals with both rheumatoid arthritis and spousal abuse with great knowledge. Ms. Allen's talent with character development is unsurpassed and she more than excells in this book. Grace Loring,her protagonist,is so real she almost leaves the book and joins you. Her brother,Gus;her daughter,Nicky;her dear friend,Vinnie; even Dolly and Lucia,her salaried help,are so totally dimensional it is difficult to see them as fictional characters. The only shadowy character is Stephanie Baine,but since she is manifested on email - a cyber person - she remains one dimensional. Only close to the end is she developed fully. Ms. Allen has written another fast-paced book that is highly readable. It builds in suspense to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. It is a great book,a great read, and she has done it again! After reading this book you may never fully trust your emails.

This book, while a cautionary tale about abuse (spousal and otherwise) is also a testament to family, unconditional love and what is really important in life.

While I have never been abused, I have been a mother to teenage girls and a caregiver to an ailing relative. All the action and feelings pertaining to these characters was totally realistic and the dialogue was right on.

Going in you know the e-mails are a bit fraudulent so you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. It does and bad things happen. When all is said and done, all the loose ends are tidied up and we go on. Is that not what life is? Things happen and we go on?

I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it to everyone and anyone who wants to spend a few hours with some pretty nice people.

Author Grace Loring - drawing upon her own background with an abusive husband - is accustomed to readers emailing her for advice regarding their own situations. However, she's taken off guard when she receives an email from Stephanie Baine, a young woman whose stories about physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband and parents are as horrific as anything Grace has ever heard.

Quickly becoming drawn into Stephanie's life, Grace is determined to help her save herself. As Stephanie begins to email her with increasing frequency - and increasing levels of horror in the tales she recounts - Grace finds herself becoming more and more consumed with Stephanie's life.

Then, Grace begins to have doubts regarding the things Stephanie's told her...and even about Stephanie herself. Does someone named Stephanie Baine really exist? And if she does, is she truly being abused...or is there something else going on here?

Throughout her days of communicating with Stephanie and taking care of her invalid brother Gus, Grace finds herself involuntarily pulled back into her own memories of the past. Essentially, she's so colored by her own experiences that she never stops to consider someone might be toying with her...something that might often happen in various real-life situations.

Readers might suspect what might happen next, but the ending is a true surprise. This is one of Allen's finest works!

Grace Loring was once married to someone who abused her. She quickly got herself and her baby girl out of the house and went to her brother's house in Vermont. Her brother Gus looked after them just as Grace would look after him years later when he was sick. Grace and Gus were both adopted. Their adoptive parents are not remembered fondly by either of them. Grace is a successful author but has not written anything in a while, overburdened with the issues of care giving. There are many loving relationships in this book, Grace and her daughter Nicola, Grace and Vinnie, Gus and Jerry, but they're pushed aside to deal with the emotional ramifications of his illness. Grace gets involved with a young abused wife from Virginia who contacted her by e-mail. Her story sounds tragic and Grace is worried. Towards the end, it is somewhat expected that Stephanie is not who she says she is. Grace and Gus finally realize how important their relationships are but by then you are at the last page. The message of this novel is strong but it was over too soon.

Grace Notes is vintage Charlotte Vale Allen. It makes you smile, cringe, and think, all at the same time. Grace Notes spotlights the best and the worst of the "world wide web." The opportunity to reach out and help others is spotlighted, as is the potential to be taken extreme advantage of. As a mother of young children, I would use this book first and foremost to warn people to be careful of revealing too much and being too trusting. At the same time, Ms. Vale Allen's portrait of a family pulling together to help and support each other in the face of a debilitating illness offers lessons of it's own.

Bottom line, an entertaining read, sure to spark much discussion.

Charlotte Vale Allen has written another powerful book titled Grace Notes. The characters are believable. Grace is a writer, but it's not a book about writing. The book shows how things can go wrong, awfully wrong, and the ending will shock you. I love suspense and this book has lots of tension. I found myself reading until the wee hours of the morning. It's a modern day story and there's something for everyone, even a gay character shown in proper light.

I don't review the plot as that's really cheating. I guarantee you that you'll want to curl up and enjoy Grace Notes from cover to cover. I did. Once, a chill crawled up my spine. I won't tell you what page. That doesn't matter. There's as much love in the book as everything else as well. I found Grace Notes both rewarding and gripping.

Once again, Ms. Allen's characters are true to life. If you want the fantasy world, rent a Walt Disney movie. Ms. Allen tells it how it is in real life with all the elements of day-to-day living.

It's interesting to note that in the book Grace is a well known writer that welcomes readers to contact her. On her website (www.charlottevaleallen.com), Ms. Allen declares the same thing.

Grace Notes involves the internet and emails and love and pain and much more. The emails become another character and it's interesting to see something not really concrete become a major character. It shows how the internet plays a major role in a lot of people's day to day lives.

There's as much seriousness to this book as there is tension (gripping tension!). But there's parts that made me laugh and some parts were very, very sad. Charlotte Vale Allen understands life and in Grace Notes has written a book about real people and a dark situation that could easily happen.

My only advice is NOT to take this book to bed with you if you have to get up early. You'll find yourself reading "just more chapter" and then another and then another.

Grace Notes is a major treat for Charlotte Vale Allen fans. New readers will enjoy how she spins a web and gets the reader caught up from the opening page. Each book she writes is different. I've read many of her books and enjoy them greatly.

I highly recommend Grace Notes in all regards.

I always enjoy Charlotte Vale Allen's books. This was one of the best.

Grace Loring was a lucky woman when she and her daughter escaped from her abusive husband and went to live with her brother Gus in Vermont.

Grace becomes a successful author later, and has many loyal fans of her writing. She is always one to be sympathetic when she hears others stories like those of her own. However, when one girl, Stephanie Baine e-mails Grace about her abusive husband, and that she must get away, Grace gives her very clear advice. Get away from him as soon as possible.

As weeks pass with many exchanges between the two, the e-mails stop suddenly for no reason. Grace wonders what is going on, and in fact, if this woman is really telling the truth. Grace has the feeling that something far more sinister is going on, and in fact she better watch her back, as this woman could be very dangerous as it turns out.